Advantages of High Carbon Steel Coil
Carbon steel coil is an important raw material for car manufacturing, aerospace, electronics, construction, and mechanical manufacturing. It is also used to produce metal products such as steel pipes, steel plates, and steel bars.
High carbon spring steel coil is a medium strength metal that performs well in applications that require average stress loads. It is tempered and hardened for added durability and resistance to damage from shock loading.
Tensile Strength
The tensile strength of a metal determines how much it can be stretched or pulled before breaking. This is measured by applying a force to the metal and measuring the distance it stretches before it breaks. The higher the tensile strength of a metal, the more it can be used for construction and applications requiring high levels of strength.
Carbon steel spring wire has a very high tensile strength and is very elastic. This makes it able to absorb considerable bending, twisting and compression without becoming permanently deformed. This is what makes it suitable for springs and other types of wire forms that need to withstand great amounts of stress.
This type of steel also has good corrosion resistance, which is important in many manufacturing applications. It High carbon spring steel coil is also able to withstand temperature fluctuations. However, it is more prone to temper embrittlement than other grades of steel, so care should be taken to properly bake and heat treat the material after electro plating.
Siegal Steel offers a wide variety of medium and high carbon steel coil, including bright basic wire, oil tempered wire, tinned coated music wire and galvanized spring steel. Our inventory is extensive and we offer stock and release programs to provide our customers with cost savings. In addition, we offer a complete range of finishing options including oscillate winding and edging for specialized requirements.
Corrosion Resistance
Many spring wire applications involve contact with water or other liquids. If that is the case, corrosion resistance must be a consideration. This is because metals react with oxygen and moisture in the air, producing rust which can damage or even corrode the surrounding material.
When corrosion resistance is important, copper-base alloys are a good choice. They are less expensive than the high-carbon and alloy spring steels, but have excellent electrical conductivity. These alloys also have a low melting point, which makes them suitable for use in subzero temperatures.
The most common of all spring materials, high-carbon steels are inexpensive and easy to work. While they are adequate for springs that need average stress levels, they are not suited to conditions that require high or shock loading.
Music wire, for example, is a cold-drawn, general-purpose spring material with a very uniform and high tensile strength. It can be annealed or pre-tempered Hardened & Tempered Steel Strip Supplier and is typically used for coil springs that must handle high stresses in cyclic applications.
The high carbon content of the material gives it a very good fatigue strength and endurance. In addition, it is moderately ductile, which means it can be bent or stretched without breaking. In fact, it has a tendency to return to its original shape, often called “memory.” This characteristic is important for springs that will be subjected to repeated bending.
Durability
The higher the carbon content of spring steel, the stronger and more durable it becomes. However, besides carbon, other elements are also essential in creating the perfect metal for coil springs. These include nitrogen, silicon, chromium, and molybdenum. All these are found in high carbon spring steels, which are known for their durability and resistance to corrosion.
The production process begins with the selection of the proper type of metal, followed by heating to make it malleable. Then, it is rolled to produce a strip or wire that has the desired thickness and width. This is done at elevated temperatures (hot rolling) or at room temperature (cold rolling). Finally, the steel is coiled into its final form and heat-treated to improve its durability.
These metals are used to manufacture a variety of different components, from car springs to small washers that hold backup sensors in place during COVID-19 testing. These components have to be able to withstand a lot of force and deformation, so choosing the right material is crucial for their success.
To increase the durability of coil springs, engineers use a heat treatment process known as quenching and tempering. This method involves heating the metal to a certain temperature, then cooling it rapidly. This causes the crystalline structure of the metal to change, which makes it harder and more resistant to damage. In the case of springs, this process also increases their elasticity and resilience.
Weldability
Depending on the steel grade and carbon content, welding high-carbon spring steel can be challenging. For example, a steel with more than 0.2% carbon will enter the hard and brittle martensite phase as it cools from welding, making it difficult to weld. This can result in cracking of the weld and a lack of fusion within the weld zone. In addition, a steel that contains too much sulfur and/or phosphorus will also be problematic to weld, due to solidification cracking.
However, low-carbon steels are relatively easy to weld. These types of steels are typically welded using one of the four most common methods. Low-carbon steels do not require any pre- or post-heating, and they can be welded with either gas metal arc welding (MIG), oxyacetylene, stick, or flux core arc welding.
Medium and higher-carbon steels are more challenging to weld than lower-carbon grades. This is because they require specific pre- and post-weld heat treatments to prevent cracking and to enhance ductility. This includes a preheat process that promotes slow cooling, removes moisture and hydrogen, and reduces thermal stress in the weld area. In addition, a post-welding heat treatment, or stress relief annealing, is required to prolong the cooling rate and enhance the ductility of the weld area. This is done by heating the pieces to a temperature of about 800 degC, and then slowly cooling them down to ambient temperature over 12 to 48 hours.